Thoughts, poems, prayers, sermons, and more from the Rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

200th anniversary of the Abolition of the British and the U.S. slave trade (1807-2007)

William Wilberforce (1759-1833) led the twenty-year fight to end the British slave trade, a victory now regarded as He finally succeeded in March 1807 and continued to fight for abolition until, days before his death in 1833, he saw the institution of slavery abolished throughout the British colonies. Not limiting himself to just abolitionist work, he dedicated his life to what he called his "two great objects:" abolishing slavery in the British Empire and what he called "the reformation of manners [society]." To this end, he advocated for child labor laws, campaigned for education of the blind and deaf, and founded organizations as diverse as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and the National Gallery (of Art). "Good causes," it has been said, "stuck to him like pins to a magnet." (by Kevin Belmonte)

On Wed., Feb. 7 at 10:30 AM & 7:30 PM we will watch a documentary and discuss the legacy of William Wilberforce and how we can affect change today.

We will also talk about the estimated 27 million people who are still enslaved today and learn about the Amazing Change, the campaign to abolish modern day slavery and what we can do to be part of the abolitionist movement.